IslandTractor
Super Star Member
- Joined
- Sep 15, 2005
- Messages
- 15,802
- Location
- Prudence Island, RI
- Tractor
- 2007 Kioti DK40se HST, Woods BH
If I understand this correctly, you are saying that by limiting US production of oil on the world market, we are not affectly the price of oil? And even though we have more oil then all of the Middle East, if our government allowed that oil to be drilled, that would not have an affect on the world price of oil?
Supply and demand means that you pay more when something that is wanted is in limited supply. Since there is no shortage of oil, and the world economy is down, then either the available supply is also down, or there is some fear of it's ability to be supplied.
There is no shortage, but there is a fear of supply due to conflict in the Middle East. (Iran)
By opening up the US to drilling, there will be more supply available. It doesn't have to actualy be there, but since the price of oil is bought on speculation, those who invest their money will not pay as much when they know that more oil is in the process of becoming available.
Supply and Demand
Eddie
Honestly I have not been following this issue closely but I understand that the US is producing more oil today than at any time in our history. We are also using less than we were a few years ago. The issue is not US oil production but rather Chinese and Indian and other developing nations increased consumption. This was bound to happen as the US has traditionally used something like a quarter of the world's oil even though our population is only about 10% of the total or so and as the rest of the world catches up with internal combustion engines etc the total demand is going to increase. Could we produce more? I'm sure we could but any decision made today would take a decade or so to influence the markets. I'd rather focus on conservation so that future generations in the US will have access to national oil not just for automotive use but more importantly as a raw material for plastics etc. We will eventually certainly make a switch over to solar and other replaceable forms of energy to power our vehicles, the question is how to balance the development of that technology with the economics of current use.
The other issue is that it is not just supply and demand but also speculation in oil prices. I don't pretend to understand how the system works but if Wall Street and similar groups have anything to do with it then you can be assured that prices will be manipulated to benefit the few rather than the many.